Combined embalming table and tank



G. EVANS.

COMBINED EMBALMING TABLE AND TANK.

APPLICATION HLED JULY 5.1916.

Patented Sept 9, 1919.

GEOIW'E EVAN8, OI PUYALLUP,

COMBINED EKBALMING TABLE AND TANK.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Sept. a, was.

. Application as m a, 1916. Serial No. 107,638.

ing is a specification, reference being had to the accompanying drawings.

This invention relates to undertaking appliances, and particularly to devices for performing the operation of embalming, though the construction may be used for other pur poses.

The main object of this invention is to provide an embalming table so constructed that the body may be laid upon the table and the embalminq' operations performed thereon, or may be lowered into a tank containing embalming fluid or antiseptic fluid, or the body may be lowered to greater or less depths into the tank.

A further object of the invention is the provision of a combined table and tank of this character which is very simply constructed, which may be readily made of enameled metal, and in which the parts may be readily detached from each other so that the table may be kept clean and sanitary.

A further object is to provide a mechanism for raising or lowering the table into or from the tank which Will not interfere with operations performed upon the body.

A. further object of the invention is to so construct this embalming table that it may be folded up for easy transportation and readily set up wherever it is desired to use it.

A further object is to. provide whereby the height. of the supporting frame for the tank may be adjusted to the evel of the mattress of a bed, so that the body may be readily shifted from the bed onto the supporting plate of the tank, and lowered into the antiseptic liquid in the tank with a minimum of handling.

Other objects will appear in the course of the following description.

My invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, wherein:

Figure 1 is a longitudinal elevation artly broken away of a form of my emba ming table and tank;

Fig. 2 is a vertical transverse section of the construction shown in Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary perspective new means of one of the legs and its connections to the supporting frame;

Fig. at is a fragmentary detailed view of a portion of the supporting frame and one of the legs SllOWll'lg the legfolded;

Fig. 5. is a fragmentary perspective view of one of the cross braces as formed in two sections;

Fig. 6 is a fragmentary end elevation of the supporting frame and the tank showing the means for operating the shafts for raisin or lowering the supporting plate;

*ig. 7 is a section on the line 7--7 of I i". 6.

fieferring to these figures, 30 designates an a proximately rectangular tub or tank whic is preferably made of canvas or other flexible material, lon itudinally and transversely stayed at its bottom so that it will be approximately rectangular in cross section.

The flexible tub is attached at its upper edges to a supporting frame comprising the oppositely disposed longitudinally extending angle irons 31 and the transversely disposed end angle irons 32. All of these angle irons are arranged so that the horizontal flanges extend inward while the vertical flanges extend downward from the horizontal flanges. This rectangular frame thus formed, is supported at its corners by suitable foldable legs likewise formed of angle iron, the detailed construction of one of which legsis illustrated in Fig. 3. In this figure it will be seen that each leg is formed of three sectipns and a vertically adjustable foot. The section 33 is the uppermost section. The end flange of this section is cut away as at 34 and the side flange at its upper end is rounded as at 35. Attached to the vertical flange of the corresponding member31 is a downwardly extending late 36 to which the member 33 is pivoted by means of a bolt 37. It will thus be seen that the member 33 can swing u ward into a position parallel to the menu or 31. The section 38 is also made of angle iron and is hinged to the section 33 by means of the hinge 39. The section 40 is also made of angle iron and is pivoted to the section 38 by means of a bolt 41 so that the section 40 may be shifted in one direction so as to cause it to fold up within the section 38. The folded sections 38 and 40 may then be rotated upon the hinge 39 so as to told parallel tothe section 33 and the folded leg may then beshifted into parallel relation to the member 31 as shown in Fig. 4. These several pivots 37 and 41 and the hinge 39 are so disposed that when the leg is in its depending position, the joints will be held from breaking by the weight of the table in a manner which will be evident from Fig. 3. Each ofthe sections 40 has one flange which is longitudinally slotted as at 42 and disposed Within the section 40 is a rectangular foot 43 which is longitudinally shifta-ble within the vices 46 are the longitudinally. and transversely extending braces 47 and i8; These braces may be jointed or formed in sections hinged to each other so that the sections may be folded up as indicated in Fig. These angle iron membersd? and 48 are adapted to support transverse supporting bars 49 upon which the tub will rest so as to take strain off the tub.

It is the design of this invention to provide, as before stated, an embahning tub which may contain preservative or other fluid and into which the body may be lowered or out of which the body may be easily raised for embalming operations. T 0 this end I provide the winding shafts 50 and which are preferably enameled pipes extending longitudinally along the members 31 and housed within these members. These pipes are supported in suitable bearings in the members 32 and at one end these winding members project out through the vertical flanges of the members 32. Cables 51 are attached to these winding shafts 50 and support a perforated supporting plate 52 which may be made of metal, Wood or any other suitable material and is suitably braced by the transverse braces 53.

For the purpose of causing the winding action of those shafts 50, so as to wind up the cables 51 and thus raise the plate 552 or lower the some, I mount upon a pin 54 projecting out from one end of the members 32 the idler sprocket wheels 55. The sprocket wheel 55 is a double sprocket wheel, and sprocket chains 57 transmit the power from one of the shafts 50 to the idler sprocket Wheel 55 and thence to the other sprocket wheel 56 in the manner .clearly illustrated in Fig. 6. A crank 58 may be engaged with either one of the shafts 50 and it will be obvious that a rotation of the crank in one direction will cause the shafts to wind up the cables 51 and a rotation of the crank in the other direction will cause the cables to unwind. One or both of the sprocket wheels 56 may be provided with ratchet teeth adapted to be engaged by a pawl 59 so that the supporting plate, may be held in any vertically adjusted position. Preferably the feet 43 are provided with casters so-that the table may be shifted to any position. It will be noted that the shafts 50 are housed by the angle irons 31 and that the cables are also disposed within the flanges of these angle irons. The shafts 50 therefore form no obstruction to working upon the body supported upon the platform or plate 52.

In actual use,- the body which has been operated uponor which is about to be operated upon or which is desired to sustain wholly or partially immersed in antiseptic fluid, is disposed upon the table or plate the tank having been previously wholly or partially filled with liquid and then the pawl is released from the ratchet and the crank turned to gradually lower the table or plate 52 into the tank. When it is desired to remove the body from the liquid in the tank the crank handle is turned in the reverse direction, the pawl clicking against the ratchet, and the table is thereby lifted to any desired height. hen the table is at its uppermost position it forms a support for the body and permits all the operations of em'bahning to be performed. The drain openings permit the liquids of the body to drain away. It is obvionsthat if the embalming operation cannot be performed entirely at one time, the body may be again lowered into the tank and kept in proper antiseptic fluid.

Because of the fact that the supporting legs include sections 43 which are adj ustable, the top of the frame formed of the members 31 and 32 may be adjusted level with the top of the mattress of the bed so that thebody may very easily be shifted from the bed onto the plate Inasmuch as the winding shafts 50 are disposed beneath the horizontal overhanging flanges of the angle irons 31, these winding shaft-s offer no impediment to the slipping of the body from the bed onto the upper flange of the angle iron rail 31- and onto the plate 52.

It is to be noted that the tank which composed of textile fabric does not support the weight of the body nor the entire weight of the Water within the tank.- The Weight of the body is entirely supported by the plate 52 and the cords 51 and the bottom of the tank is supported by thetransverse supports 49. This bottom of the tank is held in horizontal position by the transverse braces and longitudinal braces and when the tank is full of liquid the bottom of the tank rests fully upon the supporting members 49. Thus at all times when the tank is in use the sides of the tank are vertical and the bottomof the tank is horizontal so there is no impediment to the free clown- Ward movement of the plate 52 to the very bottom of the tank as would be the case if canvas tank were not braced and the bottom of the tank was curved due to the wei ht of the liquid in the tank and the flexibility of the textile fabric.

\Vhile this combined table and tank is particularly useful in connection with the operations of embalming, it is to be understood that it may also be used for other purposes. Thus it may be used for sustaining patients in baths, either partially or nearly entirely submerged in the bath, or the patient may be sustained over a steaming bath and thoroughl steamed, the upper portion of the tank being covered over by suitable cloths or other covering. This combined tank and table has been used by me in connection with embalming and I have found it to be be extremely satisfactory in every way.

The form of my invention illustrated in Figs. 1 to 7 much as it ermits the embalming apparatus to be fo ded up into compact form for transportation in an ordinary wagon and further in that it ermits the apparatus to be adjusted to di erent heights tosuit the conditions of operation.

Having described the invention, claim is:

1. An embahning apparatus including a rectangular supporting frame formedof angle iron arranged to provide inwardly projecting upper horizontal flanges, a tank of flexible material rectangular in form and attached along its upper margin to the vertical flanges of the angle iron frame, shafts extending parallel to the longitudinal angle irons of said frame and disposed beneath the inwardly extending flanges thereof whereby said shafts are housed by the angle imns, said shafts being operatively supported by the frame, cables connected to the shafts, a

what I body supporting plate disposed within the is particularly convenient inns-- tank and carried by said cables, means for rotating said shafts, foldable and extensible legs pivotally connected to said frame at the corners thereof, longitudinally extending braces detachably engaging said legs, and detachable tank supports resting upon the longitudinal braces and extending beneath the bottom of the tank to support the same and take strain from the flexible walls of the tank.

2. An embalming apparatus including a rectangular frame of angle iron, arranged to provide inwardly projecting upper hori- Zontal flanges, legs connected to the frame at the corners thereof, said legs being adjustable lon 'itudinally to increase or decrease the length of the legs longitudinally extending braces detachably engaging said legs, and formed of angle iron to provide 11 wardly extending outer flanges and inwar y extending bottom flanges, and a tank of flexible material attached at its margins to the frame, the bottom of the tank being fiat, detachable supports resting upon the horizontal flanges of the longitudinal braces extending beneath the bottomof the tank to support the same, shafts extending parallel to the longitudinal angle irons of the rectangular frame and disposed beneath the inwardly extendin flanges thereof and operatively supporte upon the same, said inwardly extending flanges housing the shafts, cables connecting said shafts, a body supporting plate disposed within the tankand carried by said cables, and'means for rotatindthe shafts.

n testimony whereof I hereunto affix my signature in the presence of two witnesses.

GEORGE EVANS.

Witnesses:

H. E. McGowan, Coornn AND OUBNS. 

